Cross-border capacity sharing in air traffic control: which area control centres in Europe are the best candidates?

Air traffic in Europe is recovering strongly after a period of unprecedented traffic downturn caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Significant capacity bottlenecks again occur in various parts of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) network, leading to excessive delays and attracting pronounced public interest. Over the past decade, the concept of cross-border ATS (Air Traffic Services) provision has come under the spotlight as a potential solution to enhance capacity utilization. Two key strategic questions arise: what are the expected benefits and which Area Control Centres (ACCs) in Europe are the best candidates for such cooperation? To address those, we developed a two-phase approach supported by mathematical models. Results suggest that the potential savings at network level from the “super-ATCO (Air Traffic Control Officer)” concept amount to 300–350 ATCOs (or 7 %) compared to individual rostering on a single day of operations. However, up to 74 % of such theoretical savings can already be achieved by means of optimal pairing of ACCs. Our findings may assist policy-makers in establishing adequate incentive mechanisms for early adopters. Moreover, the developed methodology can serve as a valuable strategic asset for decision-makers and Network Manager to accelerate the implementation of ATS delegation, following recent adoption of the SES2+ regulation.